Re: Added ninth chord (symbol)

[Tim McNamara]

> On Apr 29, 2016, at 12:22 PM, Henry Law <address@hidden> wrote:
> 
> I've searched the archives and the web generally; all that I have found on 
> this subject leads me to believe that the facility I need is not there, which 
> is perplexing since it's not particularly esoteric.  Can someone either 
> confirm my understanding or put me right?  (I'm using 2.18.2 on a 
> Debian-based system).
> 
> In a lead sheet I want to use the chord which I call an "added ninth". Using 
> the key of C as an example, I want the chord C-E-G-D: a plain major triad 
> with the ninth added on top.
> 
> "add9" is not a valid chord designator in Lilypond, as far as I can see.  I 
> can ask for "9" or "maj9" or "sus2" but none of these is my chord:
> 
> The ninth is a dominant ninth: C-E-G-Bb-D  Quite a different animal.
> Major ninth is C-E-G-B-D
> Sus2 is C-D-G, where the third is (temporarily, usually) /replaced/ by the 
> second.
> 
> Am I stuck?  I'm hoping there is some magic somewhere to help.

No magic as such but the answer is baked into LilyPond.  You need to create a 
chord exception; the instructions are somewhere in the LilyPond manual.  I am 
away from my laptop with all my LP stuff on it so I can't direct more 
specifically.  The exception can be formulated to produce Cadd9 as the 
chordname easily.  Just what you're looking for.

There is a file floating around called pop-chord.ly or pop-chords.ly that has a 
lot of these kinds of exceptions already done.  You use the \include command to 
utilize it; how to do that is also in the manual.  The file ought to be in the 
snippet repository, I would think.

Tim